Hello All,

Interesting John Miller would be your idol beekeeper. Unless he changed last
year ( California almond fever) John has been killing off (or selling blow
bees) each winter for as long as I have known him. He installs new packages
in spring. He has spoke about his methods at ABF meetings many times and to
me directly. He told me he never treats those packages and the last time we
spoke has never treated for varroa.
My comment was:
"I guess will work great until the day if ever comes you can't get package
bees"

The last time we spoke at length if this email is relayed to John was at the
Norfolk ABF convention. John & I walked across the street to eat lunch. My
opinion of John back then and now is he is a smart beekeeper and a
successful beekeeper. He has avoided many of the issues others of us have
faced in the battle to control varroa by depopulating hives. My beekeeping
partner ( which reads the list but does not post) would say that he and I
have considered John Miller's method of survival (depopulating and
repopulating) on several occasions.

I just don't understand  how depopulating hives each fall and replacing with
package bees in spring takes new *standards for hive husbandry*?

>"They aren't following the new standards for hive husbandry," Miller said.
"Things have changed.""

>A survey of 15 out of the 179 beekeepers in the state found about half had
poor or disappearing hives, she said.

And what did the other 164 say?


>North Dakota, with an estimated 382,500 hives, led the country in honey
production last year..

I don't think so! Maybe in 2005 but certainly not in 2006! 2006 was the
worst year in N. Dakota honey production many have ever seen. ( source my N.
Dakota beekeeping friends!)

In support of commercial beekeepers:
Marla Spivak's words taken from the Missouri State Beekeepers newsletter
which just came out:

"Why are Honey Bees Collapsing" Marla Spivak March 23,2007

"Finally, the beekeeping heroes that transport their colonies across the
nation to pollinate crops for our nations food supply face extreme
difficulties in supplying bees that are strong and healthy enough for
pollination"

Would all the interest in CCD be there if not for the valuable pollination
commercial beekeepers supply?

You can buy organic honey from other countries and also honey to put on
pancakes but it takes U.S. beekeepers to do U.S. pollination.

Despite all the crying foul against U.S. commercial beekeeping practices
there has not been one case of chemical contamination from U.S. beekeepers!
Many thought the three year honey watch put in place by the FDA would find
many problems but was not the case.  Instead of U.S. problems the watch
turned up problems with China and Argentine imported honey.

Sincerely,
Bob Harrison




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